Over the last several years, Flo Rida has pulled off a pretty neat trick. Not only
has the Florida-born rapper become a chart fixture thanks to the blockbuster
singles “Low (feat. T-Pain),” “Right Round,” “Club Can’t Handle Me,” and his
most recent chart-topping hits, “Good Feeling” and “Wild Ones (feat. Sia),” he’s
also broken down barriers by uniting millions of fans of pop, hip-hop, and club
music around the world and establishing himself as an international, genrebusting superstar in the process. Flo Rida brings his experiences traveling the
globe to his fourth album, Wild Ones.
“Over the last few years, I’ve been everywhere — Africa, Japan, Greece, South
America, Russia, the Middle East, Australia, India, Singapore, Indonesia,
Malaysia, The Philippines, and all over the United States and Europe,” Flo says.
“You name it, I went there. I got to go to the best clubs and the most extreme
parties and that really influenced this album. With this album, I definitely feel like I
have to show people that I’m the life of the party.” Songs like the “Good Feeling”
and “Let It Roll” are addictive, upbeat party jams. His newest single, “Whistle,”
opens with an acoustic guitar and infectious whistle chime, already proving to be
the song of the summer. Jennifer Lopez adds her sultry vocals to the club-ready
“Sweet Spot,” and Redfoo of LMFAO helps keep the party going on the bonus
track “Run.” “On each album I try to show a lot of versatility, but every time it’s
going to get bigger and bigger, because there’s no way I can give my fans the
same old thing.”
Wild Ones, is an envelope-pushing collection of party-friendly anthems that
showcases Flo Rida’s signature stop-and-go flow, melodic sensibility, massive
hooks, and billion-dollar beats, as well as his clever lyricism. “I like to sit down
and come up with a melody first, before I even apply the lyrics,” he says.
“Because when you’re creating a track, you should become an instrument, not
just rap over a beat. For me to connect with a track, it has to be soulful.”
To tap into that soulful vibe, Flo Rida collaborated with a host of A-list
songwriters and producers, including Dr. Luke, Goonrock, Sia, Rico Love, DJ
Frank E, Axwell, The Futuristics and SoFly and Nius. “I’m very particular about
who I work with,” Flo Rida says. “They don’t have to be a huge name, but I have
to feel like they’re bringing something that’s outside the box.”
He may be surrounded by star power, but Flo Rida proves that he is one-of-akind on Wild Ones. Born Tramar Dillard, Flo Rida was raised by a single mother
in Miami’s rough neighborhood of Carol City. “Growing up in the projects, you
never knew when you’d have to lay down on the ground because they’re
shooting or the police swat team is on the roof,” he says. “My mother instilled in
us that you could be from the ghetto, but you don’t have to be of it. Because
when it came down to doing certain things, I decided to be a leader and do more
positive things.”
Music helped Flo Rida stay on the straight path. His father was a talented
musician who encouraged his son to express himself through music. Growing up,
Flo Rida was exposed to all kinds of music, thanks in large part to his sisters,
some of whom formed a local gospel group. When he was a teenager, Flo Rida
found local success rapping with a group called the Groundhoggz. At 18, he
became the hype man for Fresh Kid Ice from 2 Live Crew. Eventually, Flo Rida
caught the attention of DeVante Swing, formerly of famed R&B group Jodeci and
spent a few years in Los Angeles working with him. Unable to land a record deal,
Flo Rida returned home to Miami and in late 2006 hooked up with Poe Boy
Entertainment and its CEO, Elric “E-Class” Prince. Months later, Flo Rida inked a
deal with Atlantic Records.
Released in March 2008, Flo Rida’s debut album Mail on Sunday spawned three
singles including “Low,” which spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100
and went on to become one of the most successful digital singles of the past
decade. The T-Pain-featured cut, now over 6x-platinum, appeared on the
soundtrack to the movie Step Up 2: The Streets and was one of the most heavily
rotated rap singles of 2008. Flo Rida received the People’s Choice Award for
“Favorite Hip-Hop Song” and an MTV Africa Music Award for “MTV Base
Request.” He also scored his first two Grammy nominations for “Best Rap/Sung
Collaboration” and “Best Rap Song.” Mail on Sunday went gold in Australia and
Canada and established Flo Rida as one of the most versatile MCs to hold the
mic. The worldwide embrace was the culmination of years building his skills and
credibility on the underground circuit.
In March 2009, Flo Rida released his second album R.O.O.T.S. (an acronym for
“Route of Overcoming the Struggle”), which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard
Top 200 and was nominated for a Grammy Award for “Best Rap Album.” Flo
Rida once again made history with the album’s first single “Right Round,” which
to date remains the highest-selling one-week digital single ever with more than
636,000 downloads sold its debut week. In addition, “Right Round” is the fastestselling digital single ever, with one million downloads sold in just two weeks.
In June 2010, Flo Rida scored his fourth Top 10 U.S. single with “Club Can’t
Handle Me” (also featured on the soundtrack to the film Step Up 3D) and gave
fans a taste of what’s to come on third studio album, Only One Flo (Part 1). The
David Guetta-produced global anthem, “Club Can’t Handle Me,” is nearly 3xplatinum. Only One Flo (Part 1) also featured international hits “Turn Around (5,
4, 3, 2, 1) and “Who Dat Girl (feat. Akon).”
Flo Rida is quickly approaching a remarkable 60 million singles sold worldwide.
“Wild Ones (feat. Sia)” marks the superstar’s sixth consecutive RIAA platinum
certified single not to mention his fifth top 5 hit on the all-encompassing Billboard
“Hot 100” chart.
In addition to crafting worldwide hits, Flo Rida is also focusing on ushering in a
wave of new stars to the music industry by way of his International Music Group
(IMG) record label. Artists currently signed to IMG include Hip-Hop newcomer
Whyl Chyl, Recording Group on the verge Team Phlyte and Canadian Pop
Sensation Tyler Medeiros.
As for his stunning success, Flo Rida says, “If you have a dream and stay
positive, there’s no way you can lose. The fact that I’ve come from where I’ve
come from and been able to travel the world is just crazy. I remember seeing an
entire family come to my show. They had a baby in a stroller, a four-year-old girl,
and a seven-year old boy. That blew me away that they gave me their time, so I
want to give people my time.” To that end, Flo Rida has created Big Dreams For
Kids Foundation and the Florida Youth Football League (FYFL), (2) charity nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of inner-city, underprivileged
youth through education, team sports, family enrichment and support.
“It’s one thing to me for me to be successful with music, but with the right
message and having the ability to connect with people, I knew I could do
something meaningful that gives people hope,” Flo Rida says. “When I was
growing up, celebrities would come through the projects where I lived, and
hearing them talk about how they had become financially stable made an impact
on me. I’ve felt a need to go back and talk to kids and let them know what
happened in my life, the way some of these folks did for me. I feel like it’s my
duty to put a smile on people’s faces, whether it’s through my charity or through
my music, and that’s what I always plan to be doing.”
6/12
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